Presser foot



Jan, 6, 1925.

J. R. MoFFATT PRESSER FOOT Filed sept. 1, y19:21

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 MH 7 i #11110 J. R. MOFFATT PREssER FooT Jan. 6. 1925.1,521,701

Jan. 6. 1925. 1,521,701

J. R. MOFFATT PRESSER FooT Filed Sept. 1, 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 mm 1mm Mlum i Patented Jan. 6, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES R. IMOFFATT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNION SPECIALMACHINE COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS-PRESSER FOO'T.

Application filed September 1, 1921. Serial N20. (197,563.

To aZZwwm t may concern:

' Be it known that I, JAMES R. MOFFATT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook', State of Illinois7 haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Presser Feet, of whichthe following is a description, reference being hady to the accompanyingdrawing, and to the figures of reference marked thereon.

The invention relates to new and useful improvements in presser feet forsewing machines, and more particularly to a presser foot which isadapted to be used in connection with the forming of a flatcoveredseam.. An object of the invention is to provide a pressez` foot of theabove type having a slot for guiding and overlapping the edge portionsof the fabric sections, which presser foot is provided with a section inrear of the needles which is rigidly supported by the shankyof thepresser foot, and wherein the presser foot sections at each side of andimp mediately in front of the needles are yieldingly supported by saidshank.-

A further object of the invention is to provide apresser foot of theabove type whereinthe tension of the spring on one or more of"theyielding sections may be adjusted to vary the pressure of said sectionagainst the fabric.

A still further bj'ectof the invention is to provide a presser foot ofthe above type wliein the slot for guiding and overlapping 'the edgeportions of the fabric sections tions of the presser-foot so that saidsections may shift relative to each other to permitthe free passage ofcross seams.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a presser foot ofthe above. type wherein the rigidly supported section in rear of theneedles is extended to one side of and above one of the yieldingsections 'so as to support the stationary member of a trimmin mechanism.v

T ese and other objects will in part be obvious and will in part behereinafter more fully disclosed.

is formed by the yieldingly supported sec'M that the work support isshown in' broken lines only;

. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3 3 of Fig. 2;

f lig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the presser oo v Fig. 5' is a,sectional view on the line 5--5 of Fig. 3;' and with the yieldingportions of the presser foot at theirlower limit of movement; e"

Fig. 6 is a similar, view but showin the yielding sections at theirupper limit of movement; Fig. 7 is a front view of the presser foot;Fig. 8 is a` sectional view of the presser foot on the line 8 8 of Fig.2;

Fig. 9 isa longitudinal sectional view longitudinally through thepresser foot;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the portion of the presser foot whichis rigidly secured to the supporting shank;

Fig. 11 is a perspective View of one of the yielding sections, and

Fig. l2 is a plan view of the throat plate :(ind the fabric engagingportions of the feed 'Fly improved resser foot as above noted, isparticularly ad ing a fiat covered seam, that is, for joining two fabricsections while the edges thereof are Hat and unfolded by cross connectedlines of stitching, which not only join the fabric sections, but coverthe raw edges thereof. The fabric sections are preferably slightlyoverlapped and are joined lby a three-needle stitch covering mechanism,wherein the center needle passes through the overlapped fabric sectionswhile` the outer needles pass outside of the respective' edges ofv thefabric sections so that the looper apted for amachine mak-v thread onone face of the fabric sections and the cross thread on the other faceof the fab-ric sections joining the needle thread loops will cover theedges of the fabric sections.

The presser foot is provided with a slot leading into the front endthereof which is in line with the hole through which the needles passand communicates therewith.` This slot guides the upturned edges of` thefabric Sections so that they may be trimmed, and the trimmed edgesthrough the shaping of the walls of the slot are caused to overlap oneupon the other and are thus directed to the stitching mechanism.

The presser foot consists of a main section rigidly carried by asupporting shank. This main section in the line of the needles isdisposed substantially in rear of the needles. Said main section extendsto one -side and then forwardly from this portion in rear of the needlesand is provided with a groove or reces in whichis located the yieldingsection of the foot. This yielding section extends alongside of and infront of the needles. On the other side of the section in rear of theneedles there is a yielding section which extends alongside of and infront of the needles. The two yield- Aing sections have their adjacentedges spaced and shaped so as to receive the upturned edges of fabricsections, direct the same to a trimming mechanism, and then turn saidtrimmed edges down into overlapped relation. The spring which causes oneof the yielding sections to move downwardly'against the fabric is soconstructed and arranged that the tension of the spring maybe readilyvaried and thus the pressure of the yielding section on the fabricvaried.

'The stationary member of the trimming mechanism is mounted on the mainsection of the presser foot and on that portion thereof which' projectsforwardly and is re` cessedfor the yielding'member referred to above.

Referring more in detailtothe drawings, I have shown my improved presserfoot as applied to a feed-off-the-arm type of machine. Said machineincludes a work supportingarm 1 which is provided with a throat plate 2at` its forward end. Feed dogs 3 and 4 are provided with fabric engagingsections working in suitable slots in the throat plate as indicated inFig. 12 of the drawings. The throat plate is provided with a needle hole5 and stitch lingers 6. The needles are indicated at 7, 8 and 9 in Fig.2 of the drawings, and are three in number. These needles are carried bya suitable needle bar 10. The material is fed olf from the end of thearm by these feed dogs 3 and 4. Cooperating with the needles 7, 8 and 9beneath the work support is a looper `11 carried by the looper shaft 12.

. the under by means of the screw 31.

33m the side of the shank 28.

This looper lays a looper thread into all of the needle loops whichconnects the needle loops and also covers the edge of fabric sections.The needle threads are joined on the upper face of the fabric by a-crossthread laid by a suitable cross thread laying mechanism not shown in thedrawings.

Cooperating with the feed dogs is a presser foot which includes a mainsection 13, a yielding section 14, and a yielding section 15. The mainsection 13 is rigidly carried by the supporting shank 1G which in turnis attached to the presser supporting bars 17. This main section 13comprises a foot section 18 which is cut away at 19. This foot section18 is directly in rear of the needles and is substantially wholly in`rear of the needles. Said section is substantially the same width asthe covered seam. Said seam after it is completed, passes into the cutaway portion 19 and then underneath the foot section 18. The mainsection 13 of the foot is also provided with a fabric engaging section20 which extends forwardly and serves as a support for the stationarymember of the trimming mechanism.` Said stan tionary member is indicatedin dotted lines at 21 in Fig. 2. Cooperating with this stationary memberof the trimming mechanism is a movable member 22 carried by an arm 23.The foot section 20 is recessed at 24 to receive the stationary memberof the trimming mechanism, and said member is held in place by aclamping plate 25 secured to the foot section 20 by screws 2G, 26.

The main section 13 is provided with a recess or groove 27 which extendsthe full length of the presser foot and located in said groove or recess27 is the yielding section 14. Said yielding fabric engaging section 14is yprovided with an upwardly extending shank 28 which slides in a.recess provided therefor in the main section 13 of the foot. A spring 29is located in a recess 30 in said shank 28 and bears against the lowerend of said recess. The upper en d of this spring 29 bears against acollar which can be shifted up-and down By turning this screw 31, thetension of the spring 29 may be varied. A stop screw 32 is threaded intothe main section of the foot 13 and the inner end of said stop screwextends into a slot This slot is o'f suicient length to allow fabricengaging section 14 to move vertically, but theupper end of the slotengages a screw and limits the downward movement of said yieldingsection when the entire foot is lifted off from the fabric.

Said yielding section 14 is provided with an opening 34 in which islocated a second auxiliary section 35 carried by an arm 36 relation toeach other.

pivoted at 37 to the fabric engaging section 20 of the presser foot andyieldingly pressed downwardly by means of a spring 38.

Said yielding section 14 also carries an arm 39 which is -rf providedwith spaced stitch fingers or upper thread vguides 40. These extendbetween the needles and a cross thread is laid over these fingers and isfed offI from the same by the feed of the machine. These fingerstogether with the stitch fingers on the throat plate aid in the chainingoff between articles,l and also in the formation of the coveringstitches.

e On the opposite side of the foot section 18 from the yielding section14 is located the yielding section 15. Said yielding section 15 isprovided with a shank 41 wluch slides between the guiding Walls 42, 43`carried by the main section of the presser foot. The cover plate 44holds the shank in place, and a. spring 45 yieldinglyforces said section15 downwardly. A stop screw 48 passing through the opening in the shanklimits the downward movement of the yielding section r15 when thepresser foot is raised.' The inner face of the fabric engaging section14 is beveled at 47 and curved at 46 so as to cooperate With the curvedsurface 49 on theI yielding section 15. These curved and.v

beveled surfaces are so shaped as to receive the upturned edges of thefabric sections and direct the same to the trimming mechanism and afterthey are trimmed, turn down said trimmed edges into overlapped It willbe noted that the two sections are yieldingly mounted so that they arecapable of independent upward movement. This is of great advantagein'guiding the edges of the fabric sections and controlling the same,and at the same time to permit cross seams in the fabric sections toreadily pass through the foot.

y my improved construction of presser foot, the fabric is firmly held inengagement with the fabric engagin sections of the feed dog, both inrear o the needles and at the side of the needles. The foot is raised bythe thickness of the seam, and when so raised, the yielding sectionsmove downwardly as indicated in Fig. 5, so as tov firmly hold the fabricsections of` single thickness at each side of the needle in cooperativerelation to the feed dogs. It will' be noted that the fabric sectionsuntil they reach the needles, are independently fed by the feed dogs.The means for adjusting the tension on o-ne of the yielding sectionsenables the pressure on the fabric sections to be independently variedand thus the two fabric sections caused to be fed evenly. The mainsection of the presser foot which is rigidly carried by the supportingshank, engages the` fabric sections after Ithey are stitched7 andthelseam 1s formed, and therefore, the greatest pressure of the presser footagainst the feed dogs, is brought to bear directly upon the finishedseam. This also tends to a very uniform feeding of the fabric sectionsbeing stitched.

lIt is obvious that minor changes in the details of construction may bemade without departing from the spirit of the inventio-n as set forth inthe appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a stitch forming mechanism, for forming coveringstitches including a plurality of needles; of a feed dog and a presserfoot, said presser foot including a supporting shank, a main sec-- tionrigidly carried thereby and engaging the fabric sections in rear of theneedles, and yielding fabric engaging sections located respectively atthe sides of and in front of said needles, said yielding sections havinginclined spaced overlapping parts in front 4of the needles arranged soas to guide and overlap the edge portions of the fabric sections.

2. The combination with a stitch forming mechanism for forming coveringstitches including a plurality of needles; of a feed dogv and a presserfoot, said presser foot including a supporting shank, a main sectionrigidly carried thereby and engaging the fabric sections in rear of theneedles, and

yielding fabric engaging sections located respectively at the sides ofand in front of said needles, said yielding vsections being spaced andshaped in front of the needles so as to guide and overlap the edgeportion:` of fabric sections, and means for varying the pressure of oneof said yielding sections, relative to the other.

3. The combination with a stitch forming 1 mechanismfor forming coveringstitches including a. plurality of needles; of arfeed dog and a presserfoot,said presser foot 1ncluding a supporting shank, a main section riidly carried vthereby and. engaging the fa ric sections in rear of theneedles, yield- .ing fabric engaging sections located respectively atthe sides of and in front of said needles, said yielding sections beingspaced and shaped in front of the needles so as to guide and overlap theedge portions of fabric sections, and stitchvfingers carried by one ofsaid yielding sectionsl and extending between the needles.v I

4. The combination with a stitch forming mechanism for forming coveringlstitches including a plurality of needles; a feed dog and a presserfoot, said presser foot including a-supporting shank,.a main sectionrigidly carried thereby and located substantially in rear of theneedles, said main secftion having a portion extending laterally andforwardlyl alongside of the needles, said maln sectlon having a recessextendlng longitudinally thereof, and a yielding fabric engaging sectionlocated in said recess and extending alongside of and in front of theneedles, a second yielding fabric engaging section located on the otherside of the section in rear of the needles and extending alongside ofand in front of the needles,.said yielding sections being spaced fromeach other and shaped so as to guide and overlap the edge portions offabric sections.

5. The combination with a stitch forming mechanism for forming coveringstitches including a plurality of needles; a feed dog and a presserfoot, said presser foot including a supporting shank, a main sectionrigidly carried thereby and located substantially in rear of theneedles, said main section having. a portion extending laterally andforwardly alongside of the needles, said main section having a recessextending longitudinally thereof, a yielding fabric engaging sectionlocated in said recess and extending alongside of and in front of theneedles, a second yielding fabric engaging section located on the otherside of the sectionin rear of the needles and extending alongside of andin front of the needles, said yielding sections being spaced from eachother and shaped so as to guide and overlap the-edge portions of fabricsections, a spring for yieldingly forcing the section located in saidrecess downwardly', and means for varying the tension of said spring. 6.The combination with a stitch forming mechanism for forming coveringstitches including a plurality of needles, a feed dog and a'presserfoot, said presser foot including a supporting shank, a main sectionrigidly carried thereby and located substantially in rear'of theneedles, said main section having a portion extending laterally andforwardly alongside of the needles, said main section having a recessextending longitudinally thereof, a yielding fabric en-v gaging sectionlocated in said recess and extending alongside of and in front of theneedles, a second yielding fabric en aging section located on the otherside of t e section `in rear of the needles and extending alongside ofand in front of the needles, said yielding sections being spaced fromeach other and shaped so as to guide and overlap the edge portions offabric sections, a spring for yieldingly forcing the section l0- catedin said recess downwardly, means for varyin the tension of said spring,and stitch ngers carried by one of said yielding sections, said portionof the main foot section in rear of the needles being cut away toreceive said stitch fingers.

7. The combination with a stitch forming mechanism' for forming coveringstitches including a plurality of needles; a feed dog and a presserfoot, said presser foot including a supporting shank, a main sectionrigidly carried thereby and located substantially in rear of theneedles, said main section having a portion extending laterally andforwardly alongside of the needles, said main section having a recessextending longitudinally thereof, a yielding fabric engagingsectionlocated in said recess and extending alongside of and in front of theneedles, a second yielding fabric engaging sectionlocated on the otherSide of the section in rear of the needles and extending alongside ofand in front of the needles, said yielding sections being spaced fromeach other and shaped so as to guide and overlap the edge portions offabric sections, said forwardly projecting portion of the main footsection being adapted to support the fixed member of the trimmingmechanism.

8. The combination with a stitch forming mechanism for formin coveringstitches including a plurality o needles, a feed dog and a presser foot,said presser foot including a supporting shank, a Amain section rigidlycarried thereby and located substantially inrear of the needles, saidmain section having a portion extending laterally and forwardlyalongside of the needles, said main section having a recess extendinglongitudinally thereof, and a yielding fabric engaging section locatedin said recess and extending alongside of and in front of the needles, asecond yielding fabric engaging section located on the other side of thesection in rear of the needles and extending alongside of and in frontof the needles, said yielding sections being spaced from each other andshaped so as to guide and overlap the edge portions of fabric sections,said yielding fabric engaging section located in said recess having anopening formed therethrough, and a second auxiliary yielding fabricengaging section extending through said opening and carried by the rigidfoot section.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

JAMES R. MOFFATT.

